Preterite
by Zorbert17
Summary: Tenzin and Lin are just friends, or maybe not. The past is complicated.
1. Calm

Float in the wind. Change. Adapt. Sway. Be the leaf.

"Y'know you breathe really loudly, right?"

Ignore your surroundings. Focus. Deep breathing. In. And out.

"How does that not distract you?"

Let the words wash over you. They mean nothing and you do not hear them.

"Is your eyebrow twitching?"

"It's really hard to meditate with you talking to me, Lin!" He blurted out, then regaining his composure, "Please be quite."

"You're right, sorry." She said.

Lin watched as Tenzin relaxed his body once more, his breathing even, and couldn't help but stare at his face. As the lone member of an almost extinct race, one could see the weight of his people rest on his shoulders. His face looked years younger, the creases of pressure and responsibility easing away as he fell deeper into his trance, his brow slack with calm. Lin eyed his meticulously bald head, a large light blue tattoo ending on his forehead in a pointed arrow, as is tradition when one of his people masters the art of Airbending. As far as she knew, the same arrow tattoos on his hands joined the one on his head in one continuous line. Tenzin isn't one to take his clothes off. Ever. Not even the top part of his robes could be taken off without his face turning bright red and him making an excuse to leave.

Lin had known Tenzin most of her life, thanks to her mother, Toph Beifong-to most the world's greatest Earth Bender-knowing his father, Aang-The Avatar. Unfortunately for Tenzin, Aang died a few years ago, leaving a bereft family alone and the world without a protector. Lin could empathize more than most, her own mother leaving Republic City to pursue something 'new and exciting. The Triple Triads are boring. I'm tired of bustin' them every other day. I need a new challenge.' She was gone within a week, leaving command of the police force in Lin's hands. She couldn't forgive her mother for abandoning her; a grudge Lin would hold onto for many years.

"Lin?" He interrupted her reverie.

"Huh-yeah?" She said, blinking a few times, bringing herself back to the present.

"Why are you staring at me?" He asked, eyes still closed.

"I wasn't-"

"Lin, I could feel the intensity of your gaze like you wanted to see through me." He said, looking at her now with his stormy gray eyes.

"Sorry, I was thinking..." She said, looking at the shade caused by the tree they were sitting under.

"About what?"

"About-" The loud clomping patter of footsteps cut her off.

"Zin! Zin! Check it out!" His brother, the aptly named Bumi, shouted right before throwing a young turtleduckling into Tenzin's lap.

"Bumi! What the-?" He yelled as the frightened animal flailed and squawked around the prison of his folded legs.

"I caught a turtleduckling!" He said with a large grin, "Moma probly doesn't even know it's-"

The angry screeching of a protective mother turtleduck cut Bumi off. Within a second she was at Bumi and Tenzin's feet, incessantly pecking and flapping her wings at them.

"Give her back the turtleduckling, Zin!" Bumi said.

"It's by your feet!" Tenzin said, pointing at him in hopes of directing the mother's aggression towards his idiotic brother.

With unexpected speed, he grabbed the young scared chick, "Here ya go moma. Here ya go." He said in a soothing tone as he gently placed the turtleduckling in front of its mother. Apparently appeased, the mother gave one last squawk of disapproval before turning around with her child in tow.

Suppressing a laugh, Lin said, "I'll talk to you later, Tenzin. I've got to get to the station."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later." He said with a smile and wave.

"Go get those bad guys!" Bumi added.

Not paying attention to his brother's remark, Tenzin watched her walk away. Her slender frame containing coiled power swaying with each step; square, proud shoulders give her an air of intimidation that demanded respect. He always admired the way her officers regarded her, and the way her long legs carried her confident strides, her slim thighs leading up to her tight-

"Tenzin!"

"Huh-wha? What is it Bumi?"

"Did you hear a word I just said?" He said, then followed Tenzin's line of sight, "Ahhh...somebody have a crush on Chief Beifong?"

"No! That's preposterous! She's just my friend." He said, feeling heat rise to his cheeks.

"I'm sure." He said with a sly grin, "Let's see what Kya thinks."

"What? No!" Tenzin said, failing to mask the panic in his voice.

Not heeding his little brother's complaints and arguments that Kya didn't need to know about Tenzin and Lin's "friendship. And that's all it is!", he sauntered across the park in the direction of their sister.

Kya stood at the edge of a modest pond, attention focused on the water. Letting out a breath, she began to pull at it, willing with her body and mind the liquid towards her. With grace she executed a series of sweeping gestures, bending the water out of the pond into a perfect sphere. Ignoring the loose strand of auburn hair, she remained completely absorbed with the moving and shifting orb. She held the water in place, her hands in a tight formation, circling around each other, keeping the floating circle in constant motion. The force she exerted upon this element couldn't last forever. Kya's mother had taught her this exercise, to help focus and sharpen her mind.

"Kya! Kya! You're never gonna guess who Zin has the hots for!" He boomed.

Instantly her concentration faltered, causing the sphere to explode, droplets of water flying in all directions, some returning to the pond.

"Bumi! What the hell? I was doing a Waterbending exercise!" She said with murder in her eyes.

"Oh, sorry 'bout that." He said with a sheepish grin, "But you gotta hear this."

"What?" She said, eyeing Tenzin standing meekly behind the robust and confident Bumi, "What did you do to him?"

"Me? I didn't do anything." He said in protest, "Honestly, Kya. Sometimes I think you believe I antagonize our baby brother."

"Well, you do." She said, ignoring Tenzin's interjection of his adulthood and being a man in his own right.

"Name one thing." Bumi challenged.

"You threw a rock at him when we found out he could Airbend."

"He easily deflected it, I don't see the big deal."

"He was two!"

Kya was now inches from her brother's face. Two pairs of light gray eyes locked in scorn. Once again, Tenzin had to step in and calm them both down before the argument came to blows, which would often happen.

"Calm down guys. It's okay." He said, "It's already happened. Let's just leave the past in the past-"

"Yeah!" Bumi said, sticking his tongue out.

"Even though it was a very, very stupid thing to do." Tenzin finished.

Kya held a smirk of smug satisfaction. Following his brother's advice, Bumi quickly regained his jovial spirit.

"Zin has a crush on Lin!"

"What?" She said, turning to her younger brother, "Beifong?"

"No." He said, "It's just a misunderstanding, Kya. You see what happened was Bumi interrupted my meditation-"

"In front of Lin, I might add." Bumi said with a smile.

"Was she meditating with him?" She said.

"No, she was kinda staring at him, which was a little weird."

"It was not weird, she was simply thinking and not paying attention to-"

"Ooh! Maybe she likes him too!" She said to Bumi.

"Of course she does!" He said, throwing an arm around Tenzin and cupping his chin "Lookit this mug! Obviously not as handsome as me, but he's definitely a close second!"

"Quit being ridiculous, Bumi." She said, "He's much more handsome than you."

"It's a lie!" He responded, "Besides, it doesn't matter. I'm not the one all googly eyes for Lin."

"As I have said time and time before, Lin is only my-"

"Friend, got it." Kya said, only half listening, "When do you think he'll ask her out?"

"I'm not going to-"

"Hard to say-it's Tenzin after all. He may never ask her out."

"That's true." She agreed, "Lin will probably end up asking him."

"Lin and I-"

"Definitely. We'll have to make sure he looks extra nice next time she sees him. That way she can't _not_ ask him out!" Bumi said, winking at his flustered brother.

"He needs to get rid of that poor excuse of a goatee, that's for sure."

"Hey, Zin just wants to look more like his big bro."

Tenzin slammed his hand against his forehead helplessly as Bumi sang, "Tenzin and Lin sitting in a tree..."

* * *

**_Oh, Bumi-you silly goose! As you can tell this will follow the beginnings, middle, and eventual end of Tenzin and Lin's relationship. Let me know what you all think!_**

**_-Z.17-_**


	2. Cool

"Where you been, Chief?"

"I had some things to take care of." Lin brushed off the officer as she strode through the room, feeling the eyes of the precinct on her.

"Uh, Chief?"

"What?" She whipped around at the entrance of her office.

"What are your orders?" He said, averting her gaze.

"Orders? Orders for what?" She said, looking around at the other officers and noticed the increased activity.

"You didn't hear?" One of the other cops said.

"I've been out of my office all morning, how the hell am I supposed to know what's going on?" Lin said, an edge of annoyance in her voice.

"There's been an incident," The officer said, "The Triple Triads destroyed the Air Nomad cultural center."

"What?" she said, "When did this happen?"

"About an hour ago."

Lin didn't realize she'd been holding her breath. She let herself relax for a moment, knowing Tenzin had been with her during that time frame. Plus, she couldn't let them see how worried she was, a mask of cool kept her inward emotions from showing. Anxiety creeped up her spine at the thought of Tenzin finding out. Yet another piece of his people's history had just been wiped out. She knew he would not take this well. He would often be found there, educating any and all that came by on the ancient customs of his culture and answer any questions the curious would have. Tenzin would say it was his duty to preserve and teach about the Air Nomad culture. 'It's what my father would have wanted." He would add.

"Ma'am?"

"Yes?" Lin said, returning to the world of her precinct.

"What should we do?"

"What's being done now?"

Her lieutenant came up next to the officer, offered a quick salute, "We have several men combing the area around the attack. There are also men stationed at checkpoints throughout the quadrant." He said, gesturing at a large swath of a Republic City map.

"Good," She said, "I want eyes in the air too."

"Right away." The lieutenant nodded, then turned and shouted orders at the remaining cops.

"Lieutenant," Lin said, "I'll be joining you in the air. Let me make a call and I'll meet you on the roof."

"Yes, Chief."

Lin entered her office, shutting the door behind her, closing off the cacophony of sound coming from her scrambling men. She leaned against the door, collecting her thoughts and began to form the sentence in her head.

"Damn." She said to the ceiling. This isn't going to be easy. She walked over to her desk, picking up the receiver and took a deep breath.

"Republic City operator, how can I assist you?" a bubbly and feminine voice said.

"Connect me to Air Temple Island."

"One moment, please."

A few mechanical clicks were heard, then the unmistakable voice of Katara, "Hello?"

"Hey, Katara. Is Tenzin there?"

"Oh, is this Lin?" She said with a kind voice that always made Lin feel loved and welcomed.

"Yeah, it is." She said, savoring the moment of ignorant happiness before plunging forward, "Katara, is Tenzin there, this is rather important."

"I think so, let me see." She said, putting the voice down with an ungraceful thunk.

Lin tapped her fingers impatiently as she waited. The sound of multiple voices could be heard, none clear until she heard one of them, which sounded very much like Tenzin scream "Get that razor away from me!" She heard a shuffle of noise as the receiver was picked up.

"I'm sorry, Lin. Tenzin's busy with his siblings." Katara said, an argument heard in the background, "Can I take a message?"

"Katara," She said, wishing this was happening to someone else, in another place, another galaxy, "There's been an incident."

"Oh?" Her gentle voice becoming serious.

"The Air Nomad cultural center has been attacked."

"We'll be right there."

"No, it's not safe-" She was cut off by the dial tone, "Dammit!" Lin slammed the phone down, smashing it into pieces; the third one to be destroyed by her fits of anger this month.

A tentative knock was heard from her door, an officer peeked his head in, "The airship is ready Chief."

"Good." Lin said, flexing her hands and checking her armor, "Let's get these bastards."

The large, imposing metal airship loomed over the roof as she ascended to meet her squad waiting above the building.

"We're ready to depart." An officer with a gruff voice said.

"Double-check your gear. I want this to be swift and clean. No mess ups and no screwing around."

"Got it." Her men said in unison.

She walked over to the controls, eyes combing over all the complex equipment, making quick mental notes of what adjustments needed done before taking off. With a flick of the wrist, all the calculations done in her head were played out. Levers and switches moving as she willed them into position. A large rumble from deep within the ship reverberated through the cabin as the engine roared to life. A second later they were airborne, several miles above the city.

Letting her officer take over the controls, Lin moved to a cabin window. She scoured the city's streets, drawn to any kind of motion or activity. She only let her attention stay with the small scenes of urban life being played out for a second or less, moving on to the next area. As they flew nearer to the scene she saw smoke billowing from the rubble and debris of the Air Nomad cultural center. A rage filled her with such ferocity she couldn't stop her clenched fists from shaking.

"Chief?"

"What?"

"We've just received a transmission from the kappa squad about Triad activity."

"Where?"

"Sector three."

"Take us there. Fast."

The airship banked left and began to pick up speed. She turned away from the window and looked at her squad.

"Alright, Alpha squad. These are suspects in the terrorist attack on the Air Nomad cultural center." She said, making eye contact with each veteran officer that has served countless missions by her side, "With that said, regardless if they're involved; we've all dealt with these bastards before and know they don't play nice. Be careful. Fall back if you need to."

The thundering in her chest betrayed the outward calm that masked her face. She needed to fix this. She needed to serve justice for Tenzin and his family.

Tenzin and his family.

"Oh, shit." She said, remembering what Katara had said at the end of their phone call, "You two, go back to the cultural center. Tenzin might show up, don't let him do anything stupid."

"Yes, Chief." They said.

A hatch was opened and the two jumped out, shooting metallic rope from their gauntlets that latched onto nearby buildings. Lin watched them swing back towards the wreckage. Good, she thought, that should take care of them while we take care of this.

"Almost there." The navigator said, slowing and lowering the vessel at the same time.

Looking out the window she saw flames and the destruction of battle all along the street. The adrenaline began to pump into her veins as the hatch lowered once more. With wind whipping her hair, she jumped out of the airship, leading her team to the fight below. Hurtling towards the ground, she pushed a wire out of her suit, the hook attaching itself to a wall allowing her to roll into the ground with light impact. Quickly springing up with alert eyes she surveyed the scene from ground level.

Several of her officers were locked in combat with the Triads, unconscious bodies from both sides laying lifelessly on the ground. With a quick word she ordered an officer to collect the injured cops. Once he was dispatched, Lin spotted a few of the gang members doubling up on one of her own. Thoughts leaving her body as the physical memory of combat took over, she rushed forward, shooting a string of wire at the intended target.

Before it connected, a razor thin shard of ice sliced through her line. Momentarily caught off guard, she could only half turn away before a wall of water slammed into her side, throwing her against a nearby wall. Bouncing back onto her feet and taking a defensive stance, she faced her attacker.

A tall, thin man with short brown hair grinned at her with a wicked smile. Lin noticed a scar splitting his lower lip and ending diagonally at the end of his chin.

"Never seen you before." She said in a growl.

His dark eyes narrowed as he pulled forth more water from a flask. Imperceptibly quick he hurled more icicles in her direction. She was barely able to pull up a small wall of earth before the shards smashed into her cover. Sensing more than seeing her enemy, Lin pushed the wall of ground towards him, using the distraction to gain her bearings. A beginner's tactic she had taught her officers to help keep the enemy at bay and give yourself a chance to breathe.

From the cloud of dust a slew of ice sliced through the air in Lin's direction. This time more prepared for her opponent, she used the ground at her feet to help launch her into the air towards the assaulter. Playing aggressive against an unknown opponent was always risky, but Lin was never one to wait for her enemy to make a move. Landing in front of him, she didn't give him a chance to react, immediately lifting a piece of ground and hurling it into his chest.

She allowed herself a small smile as the man with the scarred smile fell to the ground. Turning to the rest of the battle, she saw that her forces had overtaken the Triple Triads, most of them being cuffed and rounded up in the center of the street.

"Lieutenant!" She called.

Her second in command jogged up to her, "Yeah, Chief?"

"Bring this one with us," pointing behind her with a thumb, "I think he might know something."

"Right aw-Chief!" He yelled in surprise as he quickly shoved her to the side.

Lin's confusion was driven out by the stabbing pain in her shoulder. She fell to the ground, the dull shouts fading along with her vision.

* * *

**_Oh snap! Super cliffhanger ending for chapter two! Let me know what you all think._**

**_-Z.17-_**


	3. Collected

She ignored Lin's protests as she put the phone back on the receiver. Sadness rolled over her in waves, slowly turning into a silent anger. Katara could hear the playful tone of Kya and Bumi as they tried to coerce Tenzin into shaving off his beard. Collecting her thoughts, she walked into the room.

Tenzin stood on one end, hands up in a defensive Air Bending position, cheeks flushed and eyes focused on the other two across the room; both of whom had whimsical smiles. So very much like their father.

"That's enough."

The three stopped and gazed at their mother, there was something off in her voice. There was an edge instead of kindness.

"We need to go into the city." She continued, then turned and walked out of the room.

"But Zin isn't ready," Bumi whined, "He still has hair on his stupid face."

"Hey!" Tenzin said.

"What's going on, mom?" Kya called.

She stopped, "That was Lin on the phone. There's been an attack."

"Where?" Bumi said.

"The Air Nomad Cultural Center has been attacked." She said, willing her heart not to break.

"No..." Tenzin said, "That's not...why? Who?"

"I don't know." Katara said. Yet another piece of Aang's people had been taken away. What was left? Tenzin. Her little baby Tenzin. The only of the three that carried his father's Air Bending. The only one left in the world to continue his people's legacy. She could sense without looking the anguish, fear, and anger her son must be feeling.

"I'm going." He said, not waiting for the others to protest. With a quick pace he made his way towards the courtyard, briefly stopping to give his mother a peck on the cheek.

A million thoughts raced through his head, whizzing in and out of focus for fractions of a second. Only one lit up in his mind like a star: why? Why would someone do this?

"Zin, zin, wait!" He heard his brother huffing as he ran up to Tenzin.

"What is it Bumi?" He said, not completely paying attention, "Oogie!"

A deep rumble was heard before the sight of a mammoth, white, furry, six legged beast flew impossibly through the air toward the two. A pair of imposing black horns rose from its wide head, ending in points. Without warning, the monster landed in front of Tenzin and let out a low grumble. Before either could react, a large, slimy tongue was in his face.

"Yes-mmmfff-I missed you t-mmfff-" He said between slobbery licks, "Oogie! Stop licking me, please!" The sky bison obeyed, its large eyes focused on Tenzin.

"I'm coming with you two." Kya said, startling the brothers.

"Wha-no. You have to stay and take care of mother in case anything happens." He said.

"Exactly." Bumi said with a know-it-all grin.

"That goes especially for you, Bumi." Tenzin said, climbing atop his childhood pet, "Oogie, yip yip!" The sky bison gracefully rose into the air, letting its master guide with gentle tugs of the rope tied to its horns.

"What does he mean 'especially' me?" Bumi said incredulously.

"Quickly, quickly!" Tenzin said, leaning forward in his saddle, as if the small gesture would push him closer to the destination.

Once over the water separating his home, Air Temple Island, from Republic City, he spotted a black smoke coiling towards the atmosphere.

"Why?" He said to himself over and over. The word becoming a mantra for his anger to focus on. The smoke grew larger as the pair approached from the air. With a flip of his wrist, Tenzin directed Oogie down to the scene. Both rider and beast barreled towards the earth, gaining speed as the ground quickly rose to meet them. Seconds before they would become a red splat, he pulled tightly on the reigns, allowing them to land with a soft thump. The two guards stationed at the entrance stared with gaping mouths.

Effortlessly Tenzin hopped off his monstrous furry friend, letting out a puff of air to cushion his fall.

"What happened?" He demanded with an authoritative tone.

"Uh-umm-"

"Out with it!" His patience razor thin.

"There was an attack sir." The other officer said.

"I can see that," His stormy gray eyes boring into the guard, "What. Happened."

"We don't know all the details yet." He said, "All we know is there were two detonations activated from outside. We traced the dynamite wire two buildings over."

"And?"

"And we got zilch." The other officer said.

Allowing himself a moment to breathe, he finally looked at the rubble. Most of the once magnificent structure lay heaped on the ground, discarded with piecing still smoldering. Small bits of charred parchment lay scattered all around, some listlessly scratching across the ground with the wind. His vision blurred as burning tears freely fell down his cheeks. His home away from home had been destroyed. The legacy his father had left Tenzin now lie in ruins before him.

Sinking to his knees, he buried his face in his hands, rocking back and forth as sobs of anguish and despair rattled his body. The mantra of why's escaped his lips in a hushed whisper. He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir? Do you want some tea?"

"No, thank you." He said, taking a shaky breath; then a few more to calm himself, "Why aren't you guys searching for the culprit?"

"We are." One said.

"Well, not we 'we'. But the force is on it." The other said with a confident grin, "Hell, the Chief is leading the search."

"Lin?"

"Yes sir. So don't worry. We'll catch them for sure."

"I'm helping, then." Tenzin said, rising with new found resolve, "Oogie!"

The beast had wondered several yards away, face bent toward the ground with a mouth full of grass and other fauna. At the sound of its name, Oogie eagerly trotted over to his master.

"Sir." The guard placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, "You're not helping."

"And why not?" He said coolly.

"Because you could interfere with the investigation. You're a civilian, you or your...uh...flying teddy bear...thing...could get hurt."

"It's a sky bison. And we're both very capable of handling ourselves." Tenzin said, brushing the officer's hand off his shoulder.

"We are under direct orders from the Chief to keep you here. I'm telling you. Stay here. We will use force if necessary."

Tenzin stood facing his sky bison, willing himself into a state of relaxation and zen, his muscles loose and fluid, then said, "No."

The two men responded by shooting their wires at Tenzin. He leaped into the air, spinning around with a slash of wind that smacked into the metallic wires, interrupting their momentum. Before the two could react, He was upon them. With speed and agility he dispatched the two guards easily. Flowing with the wind-dodging a fist. Becoming the leaf- a flung piece of earth sailing past him. He retaliated with strong gusts of air aimed at the abdomen, the goal to knock the breath out of his opponents.

As the two lay on the ground, weak moans wheezing out, Tenzin jumped onto his companion.

"I'm truly sorry to hurt you gentlemen. But I have to do this."

Oogie pushed off the ground, seamlessly rising into the air and gaining speed. With eyes scanning the sky, Tenzin quickly picked out two large airships overlooking the city. Both with a pair of large searchlights taking turns blanketing small sections of street with a harsh beam. The ships that had been traveling in the same direction began to veer away from each other, choosing new paths.

"Which one should we follow?" He mumbled to himself. But not low enough; his companion twitched one of its arms length ears, "Wait, no. Oogie-!"

Making the decision for the both of them, the bison sped towards the leftmost airship. Within moments they would overtake the floating steel behemoth.

"Slow down, Oogie! We don't want them to see us." Tenzin urged, pulling on the reigns.

The low grumble of the beast could be felt reverberating through his legs as they slowed. With a few more words and gentle nudging, they were behind the ship, level with the cabin. He took a quick glance in, seeing five officers busying themselves with piloting and observing the streets below.

"We'll just follow them for now and see where it leads us." He said, giving the sky bison a pat on its head.

Tenzin kept sharp eyes on the streets below, following the lights, absorbing every image to be processed within seconds. After several minutes of him tailing the police ship, movement at the corner of his eye pulled his attention back to the cabin. The officers all seemed to be arguing with each other, one of them pointing to their right, in the vague direction the other airship had gone. Without warning the ship made a sharp turn. He had to jerk on the reigns to avoid colliding with the vessel.

"What's going on?" He said, following the ship in its new direction.

Moments later he found out why the officers had changed course. Tenzin heard before he could see the disruptive sounds of battle happening below. By the time they actually reached the scene, most of the fighting had died down. Only two combatants still remained, with the street torn asunder around them.

"Lin." He gasped.

The Republic City police Chief had a small rectangular piece of rock in front of her; a flurry of icicles slammed into it coming from an unknown assailant. Within seconds she was airborne, landing in front of the attacker, quickly dispatching him with a well thrown stone square into the chest.

"Lin." He gasped again, this time with a half smile. He knew- from painful experience- that Lin was an excellent fighter, especially in close quarters. Allowing himself a breath he didn't know he had been holding, Tenzin watched the officers begin to assist with damage control.

Then it happened.

A small glint from the searchlight was all he saw flying through the air before it hit Lin, knocking her off her feet.

"No!" He yelled, pushing Oogie as fast as possible to land. Not waiting for the bison to touch down, he vaulted off and ran over to Lin.

Wishing he could forget the image of her unconscious on the ground, blood already pooling around the wound, he said, "Lin..." once more.

* * *

_**Things are getting pretty intense! Let me know what you think!**_

_**-Z.17-**_


	4. On A Limb

"No, no, no..." Tenzin said, cradling a limp Lin in his shaking arms.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Her second in command said, ordering nearby officers to bring her into the airship.

With little struggle, he let her be taken. Heartbroken he looked down into his lap with water brimmed eyes and saw the blood all over his lap.

Lin's blood.

The sight brought an idea to mind, "Captain?" Tenzin asked.

"Sir?"

"Did you see the person that attacked her?"

"I didn't get a clear look at him, because...y'know," He said, gesturing towards the rising airship.

"Right." He said, trying to keep his emotions in check, "What did you see?"

"It was a waterbender. Male." The captain said, pulling at his moustache, "Oh, and he had a scar from his lip to his chin."

"Were you able to aprehend him?"

"Nah, he musta slipped away during the commotion when the Chief got hit."

"I see." He said, "Thank you captain."

He gave a quick nod then made his way towards the remaining airship, leaving Tenzin behind. He stood alone in the street, watching the large vessel fly away. Once sure he was out of their view, he rushed over to his companion.

"Okay, Oogie. I'm going to catch him." He said, patting the sky bison, "Then when I do...I'm not sure yet. But I'll figure that out when I get the monster."

He dismissed the beast, watching its unusually graceful movement in the air as it flew back to Air Temple Island.

"Okay," Tenzin said, then took a deep breath.

He ventured further down the street, all his senses tuned to the sights, smells, and sounds of the city. Body tense and nerves on edge, he made sure to check each alleyway that branched off of the main street. After walking for what felt like hours and not finding a single trace of the culprit he was ready to turn back. That is until his foot splashed onto a small puddle.

"Huh?" He said, almost tripping when he couldn't lift his foot back up.

Realizing too late that he had ended up in a trap, a water-whip smacked across his face. For a brief moment all he could see were stars, his vision blurred. Another strike from the whip hit Tenzin with such force that he had broken free of the ice trap. Still reeling from the surprise attack, he rose to face his opponent. Ready this time, Tenzin was able to narrowly dodge the third strike of the whip. With a chopping motion, he sent out a crescent of air, breaking the elemental weapon apart.

Shards of ice zipped towards his direction, forcing him to jump to the right into an alley. His breathing came in quick succession as he backed up and prepared for more combat. A figure came forth with a lazy stride. Tenzin launched bursts of wind toward the target, then stared in amazement with the way the man moved, effortlessly dodging the assault. He continued to walk forward, a streetlight illuminating his face.

"You!" Tenzin said, locking eyes with the man who injured Lin.

Taking advantage of the small space, he concentrated all his efforts into a large gust of air. Backing up the only option, the man took the brunt of his improvised wind tunnel. Not wasting a moment, he rushed forward and pinned the man to the ground. Instead of struggling like Tenzin assumed he would, the culprit didn't resist or even move. He only had that sleazy, split grin that Tenzin was beginning to despise.

"Who are you?" He said, one fist poised to strike if the man made any sudden moves.

"Hmm, you don't look like a cop," He said with a gruff voice,"You definitely don't fight like one."

"That's right, I'm not a cop." Tenzin said, trying his best to look menacing, "I don't have their restrictions. So I'll ask again. Who are you?"

"If you're not a cop, then why do you care?" He said.

"As you can see, I'm an Airbender," He demonstrated by launching a gust of wind into the nearby wall with such force that bricks cracked, "And you blew up the Air Nomad Cultural Center."

"I what?" He said with genuine surprise.

"The explosion you and your friends made," Tenzin said, his menace wavering, "It was a cultural center for Airbenders."

"Oh my-I'm sorry, man. I had no idea."

"Really? You had no idea that you were going to destroy an historical building?" He said, menace and anger returning.

"No-well I knew we were gonna blow something up," He said, smirking, "But I was told that we were robbing a bank. Everything went to hell when the explosives went off. They weren't supposed to blow up the _entire _building. Just enough boom to open the vault y'know?"

Tenzin kept a raised fist, masking the confusion going on behind his eyes.

"I swear I didn't know it was an air-culture nomad center."

"How could you not?"

"Look, I'm not a native to these parts, okay?" He said, "Plus, I wasn't the explosives guy. I just pressed down for the boom. You probly don't believe me, I get it. I wouldn't either, seems like a convenient aliby. But it's the truth."

"You attacked and wounded the Chief of police!" Tenzin said, barely controlling the rage in his voice.

"What? She your girlfriend-"

The sentence was cut off by a whip of wind smashing against the ground inches from his face.

"Touchy subject, then?"

"Who are you!" Tenzin said, his fist connecting with the man's face.

He could feel himself losing control. But he didn't care. He needed this. He struck the man again.

And again.

And again with more force than the last. Determined to break the man's stupid smile. Determined to fight his grief, fear, and anger with violence. After several more strikes, he came to his senses and fell back in horror.

"You are definitely more rough than the police." He said, spitting out blood.

Tenzin couldn't respond, he only stared at the man. A large bruise had already began to form on his cheek. Blood drippled from a split lip and one eye was swollen.

"Damn, that hurts." He said, wincing as he rose, "My name's Li by the way. Yours?"

"I..."

"Okay...well I'm gonna get going." He said, then pointed to his face, "I'll remember this."

Tenzin watched Li walk away, still shocked and terrified with what he had just done.

After what felt like years, decades, centuries of sitting on the ground-he finally got up. In a daze his body pulled him toward the main street. Without recalling the rest of the trek, he somehow ended up in front of the hospital. Multiple people gave him strange looks while walking past. There he stood-a haggard man, covered in scrapes, blood dripping from one of his hands- staring at the doors blankly.

"Uh...sir?" A woman with light hair pinned into a tight bun said, "Do you need help?"

"Hmm...?" Tenzin said, returning to himself, "Me? Oh, no."

"Really?" She said, eyebrow raised, "You look pretty banged up."

"I'm fine." He said, giving her a reassuring smile, "I'm actually here for a friend, Lin-er-Chief Beifong."

"Ah," She said, then pointed at the third story of the large building, "Room 307. You should probably hurry- visiting ends in a half hour."

"Okay, thank you, uh...Nurse-?"

"Doctor."

"Right, of course. I didn't say nurse because of you being-a-well, I guess I just-"

"Better get in there before you stammer out of time."

"Thanks." He said, praying she didn't see the flush of his cheeks.

Taking the steps two at a time, he arrived on the third floor; the smell of herbs and healing remedies invaded his nostrils. Gently panting from the stairs or from his thoughts of Lin, Tenzin didn't know; he could see several officers standing outside of a room to the right. By the look on their faces, he knew the news would be grim. Pushing on anyways, he walked down the white hallway towards their worried faces and felt the ominous mood like a wave.

"How is she?" He asked the closest patrolman.

The look he gave was all Tenzin needed before pushing past them, not heeding their words or letting them lay a hand on him.

"Lin!" He said, seeing her on a starchy cot, bandages around her shoulder. Still unconscious, but breathing.

"Tenzin?" The familiar sound pulled his attention away from the Chief.

"Kya?" He asked, surprised to see her sitting calmly in the corner of the room.

"You look terrible, what happened?"

"I-" The sound of Lin stirring interrupted him. Without thinking he was standing by her, holding her delicate but powerful hand with his non bloodied one.

"Ugh..."

"Lin? Lin...?"

"What?" She said, the usual edge already back in her strained voice.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm not. My shoulder feels like its on fire." Her eyes opened and locked with his, a tenderness that only he could see lay within the light green pools, "I guess things could be worse."

Tenzin felt her return the pressure in his hand. Disregarding all thought and reason, he leaned forward and kissed her.

* * *

**_Woo! Chapter four done! As with the others, please leave a review to let me know what you think!_**

**_-Z.17-_**


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